Page 69 of Lady Gambit
Aaron scoffed. “Next, she’ll be wearing trousers, smoking cheroots and lobbying parliament.”
“Miss Lovelace is all alone in the world. She has no choice but to be strong and independent. Make no mistake. She is every bit a woman.”
A muscle in Aaron’s cheek twitched. He’d either developed a tic or was busy imagining the lady’s feminine attributes. It was undoubtedly the latter because he was quick to change the subject.
“I want you to come home today.” He sat back in the chair, relaxing a little while she strived to ignore the heaviness in herchest. “Theo is much improved and needs to keep busy before he wastes away in that damned bed.”
He was right. They could not remain at Mile End forever, and Theo’s recovery was paramount.
But to leave Dorian?
To not feel his presence all around her?
It would break her heart in two.
“We’re still no closer to finding the person who shot him,” she said, trying to sound practical, not desperate. They needed to locate Nora Adkins and the mysterious Tobias Trigg. Gather evidence from Mr Powell before tackling the wicked Mrs Haggert. “We’re safe here. At least for the time being.”
“Damn it all, Delphine. I’ve spent my life taking care of you. I don’t need other men fighting my battles. Daventry and Flynn can go to hell.”
“Yet Mr Daventry is the one who discovered my true identity. Mr Flynn has helped me unlock hidden memories. That’s how we know Mrs Haggert lied.” They were close to finding the answers she craved. She could feel it in her bones. And to spend one more night with Dorian would be a dream beyond measure. “A day or two is all we need. Then I shall return home. I give you my word.”
Aaron’s intense gaze searched her face. “Very well. You’ll come home tomorrow, though you’ll not visit Mrs Haggert without me.” His expression hardened. “I’ll make that wretch pay for her vicious lies.”
A vision of Mrs Haggert burst into her mind, a firm hand dragging her from the shrubbery in Green Park. Did she know Oscar and Sofia Chadwick? Was she responsible for their demise?
“Did Mr Daventry tell you the tragic tale of my parents?”
She remembered little after the man’s grand revelation. It was as if her mind had shut down to protect her from the heartache.
Aaron frowned. “Flynn told me when I arrived. He sent for me because you were inconsolable. I suppose I should be grateful for that. Perhaps your mother died?—”
“Stop! I’m not ready to hear how they perished.” There was no telling if the story was true, and she wanted to live with the image of a happy family, just for a while longer.
Giving a curt nod, Aaron stood. “I imagine Flynn will be glad to have the house to himself. I’m told he’s days away from announcing his betrothal to the Marquess of Bexley’s by-blow.”
The remark hit her like a punch to the gut.
She tried to smile, but jealousy had her in its talon-like grip. “Yes, I saw Miss Montague the other day. She’s everything a man could want in a woman. Beautiful. Intelligent. Wealthy.”
The corners of Aaron’s mouth curled in disgust. “I pity Flynn. Who wants to be shackled to an insipid creature for the rest of his days? I took him for a man with more sense.”
“One cannot help who they fall in love with.” Though she was quite certain Dorian did not love Miss Montague.
“Love? His father has no legitimate heir. Bexley has the King’s ear. No doubt Flynn will find himself with a title. The nobility bend the rules to protect their own.” Aaron’s diatribe against the aristocracy did not stop there, but she became lost in thoughts of Dorian.
There was one thing worse than neglect.
Being exploited by a selfish parent.
Keen to make a hasty retreat, she pulled back the bedclothes and stood. “On the subject of Mr Flynn, I should find him and apologise for spoiling the plans today.”
Her skirts were creased. Her hair was a tangle of knots. But it didn’t matter. The need to see Dorian was like the magneticpull of a compass seeking its true north. It wasn’t their failure to visit Bethlem that left her dejected, but the hour they’d hoped to spend alone in his quaint bedchamber above the Old Swan.
“Flynn isn’t here,” Aaron said. “He left when I arrived.”
“Oh?” She tried not to look deflated.
“The mesmerist gave him an address for a man named Trigg. He went with Gibbs to see what he could learn about the strange fellow.”
